Out in print

Murder in the Rue Chartres
Greg Herren
Alyson Books

The latest adventure of Chanse MacLeod finds the private detective returning to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As if surveying the grim aftermath wasn't disturbing enough, MacLeod is dealing with a breakup and some unresolved feelings about his partner's death. On top of that, he discovers that his last client was murdered on the eve of Katrina. At loose ends, he starts looking into her death, and is soon convinced that what the police categorized as a burglary gone wrong was something more sinister. MacLeod's quest for the truth leads him deep into the secrets of a dysfunctional family, and deeper into the wounded heart of New Orleans. Although Herren lays out an intriguing puzzle - how do you investigate a murder when the crime scene has been flooded and some of the people who should be interviewed have evacuated town? - Rue Chartres only works middling well as a mystery. MacLeod doesn't exactly come off as the brightest light on the tree, and Herren's style is to hammer home all but the most obvious points. It's the kind of whodunit that's interesting without being the least bit demanding. What's really interesting here is the portrait of New Orleans recovering and rebuilding, and Herren's own anger and grief over the mystery of the government's inept response to Katrina.

Blind Leap
Diane Anderson-Minshall and Jacob Anderson-Minshall
Bold Strokes Books

In the second installment of the adventures of the San Francisco- based Blind Eye Detective Agency, the Minshalls have worked out most of the kinks. The prose can still be a bit awkward at times, with a near-obsessive need to namedrop San Francisco landmarks and queer cultural touchstones, but in raising the stakes they've crafted an entertaining and tense mystery. This time around, the Blind Eye staff - who seem to have been hired by a college diversity committee, comprising a legally blind owner, a parapilegic agent, a baby butch secretary/trainee, and the new addition of a gender-bending cop - are investigating the apparent suicide of the director of the Frameline film festival. Did the deceased really jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, or was he pushed? There are plenty of suspects, including the director's junkie lover, the lesbian couple who reneged on a co-parenting agreement, and a long list of pissed-off filmmakers snubbed by the festival. The truth is more complex, and more dangerous, than anyone could guess, and at least one Blind Eye staffer will be in mortal peril before the case is closed. The authors build well on the foundation of the first Blind Eye book and the vivid characters and exciting twists will have you hooked.

Blood Moon's Guide to Gay and Lesbian Film, 2nd Edition
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
Blood Moon Productions

There have been a few guides to queer cinema, but Blood Moon has got the most ambitious one: an annual yearbook of every film from around the world with gay themes, or by a major gay director. In addition to profiles of over 150 feature length films from 2006, the book covers some of the year's short films, and includes essays on Marlon Brando, Greta Garbo, and the (homo)erotics of superheroes. The book's thoroughness is admirable (but it's not exhaustive) covering everything from major Hollywood releases to arty foreign fare to straight-to-video schlock. It's evident, though, that the writers haven't actually watched every one of these films; some are reviewed, while others are merely described, sometimes in rather vague terms. In terms of artistic significance or even technical competence, the book can be misleading: why does a piece of shit like Contadora Is For Lovers get a full two pages, while the landmark The King and The Fool only get one? But for the adventurous viewer, this is a useful guide to the movies you may have missed; and the more casual movie fan will at least enjoy the book's casual snark, trivia, and photos.